The first time the South Korean factory owner watched his North Korean employees nibble on a Choco Pie , they appeared shocked -- even overwhelmed .

He summed up their reaction to the South Korean snack in one word : `` Ecstasy . ''

Much like what Twinkies are to Americans , South Korea 's Choco Pies -- two disc-shaped , chocolate-covered cakes , sandwiching a rubbery layer of marshmallow cream -- are ubiquitous , cost less than 50 cents and are full of empty calories .

But on the other side of the Korean border , the snacks are viewed as exotic , highly prized treats , selling on North Korea 's black markets for as much as $ 10 , according to analysts . Their rising popularity in the north reveals an unexpected common ground between the two Koreas , despite their fractious relationship -- a shared sweet tooth .

This month , an art exhibition called `` The Choco Pie-ization of North Korea '' opened in New York , exploring the symbolism of the treat . The high value in North Korea of the Choco Pie , something considered so widespread and mundane in South Korea , is `` a sad tragic story , '' said the artist , Jin Jo Chae .

Chae smeared melted chocolate across the North Korean newspaper Rodung Sinmun , staining the state-run propaganda with something sweet . She used the chocolate to make a symbol of Choco Pie , written in the lettering style of Coca Cola . Her exhibit , displayed at Julie Meneret Contemporary Art gallery , also contains piles of Choco Pies as well as a gold-plated one .

`` Through this Choco Pie , I found the potential from chocolate as an object that changes a society , '' Chae said .

The Choco Pie represents something more than just a treat .

Subversive Choco and Coke ?

Despite perceptions of North Koreans as brainwashed , insulated masses , the hunger and desire for Choco Pie shows that `` complete quarantine is impossible , '' wrote Richard Lloyd Parry in London Review of Books . Lloyd wrote that it `` reveals a susceptibility to outside influence in a society commonly regarded as impenetrable . '' The crumbly mass of chocolate and marshmallow had taken on a subversive aspect .

Indeed , Chae , the artist behind the exhibit , says , the Choco Pie `` has a power in how it works as a mind changing tool between South and North . ''

The South Korean factory owner , who introduced his North Korean workers to Choco Pies , washed down with a Coca Cola , said the products seemed to leave an impression on his staff .

`` It was clear that the workers had gotten at least some idea of capitalism and that it was n't all bad , '' he told CNN .

`` They had only associated the United States with evil , and the fact that they could love something that the U.S. had produced -- specifically Coca Cola -- was an eye-opener . ''

Choco trade

The factory owner , who did not wish to be named , operated his business for seven years at the Kaesong Industrial Complex , one of the key symbols of cooperation between North and South Korea , and the site through which Choco Pies trickled into North Korea .

At the complex , more than 100 South Korean factory owners employ about 50,000 North Korean laborers to manufacture products like clothing and shoes . Kaesong , considered to be an important source of hard currency for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un 's regime , sits just a few kilometers north of the Demilitarized Zone , which divides the two Koreas . It re-opened in September after a five-month hiatus .

`` It 's really the only one place where North Koreans and South Koreans come in regular contact together , '' said Stephen Noerper , senior vice president of the Korea Society , in New York .

While workers at Kaesong brought their own rice , the South Korean factory owners provided them with soup and snacks , said the factory owner who spoke to CNN .

`` The snacks were necessary because the workers were walking to work often for hours , because there were no buses and they became very hungry as they were working , '' he said .

Choco Pie and Coca Cola were the standard snacks with other South Korean managers at Kaesong . They provided two Choco Pies a day , because `` otherwise , -LRB- the workers -RRB- would not have energy to sustain themselves at work , '' he said .

But he and fellow South Korean managers also noticed a conspicuous lack of Choco Pie wrappers at the factory .

`` It became clear that the workers were hiding them and taking them home to give them to their children , '' he said .

Choco 's value

The snacks spread to North Korea 's informal markets , valued in the marketplace as about $ 10 in purchasing power , and holding something of a sweet spot for North Koreans , said Noerper .

`` It 's sentimental role , '' Noerper said . `` It 's given by South Koreans . It 's a South Korean product . ''

The Choco Pies have even been sent in balloon launches to North Korea by some advocacy groups . But Park Sang Hak , a prominent North Korean defector who regularly sends leaflets and supplies from South Korea , said the Choco Pies are not ideal for the balloons , because they weigh too much and crumble . Park says he prefers to send U.S. $ 1 bills , vitamins and information through USB drives .

Choco replaced

At Kaesong , the South Korean factory owners eventually switched from Choco Pies to cup noodles -- `` in order to provide a more substantial snack , '' the former factory owner told CNN . The change , he said , was well-received .

One of the most surprising things he remembered from his years at the factory was how North Korean workers were mystified by everyday items . The workers had no idea how to use a Western-style toilet , and had never seen toilet paper before , he said .

He has since pulled out of Kaesong .

Through all the stories about noise and misinformation about North Korea , perhaps the Choco Pie is a reminder of an aspect missing in the narratives about the country , said Noerper .

`` We lose sight of the fact there 's a common human experience . We need to realize North Koreans are regular human beings -- that 99 % of North Koreans just desire a better life . ''

`` They want a Choco Pie at the end of the day . ''

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Businessman describes North Korean workers at Kaesong trying Choco Pie for first time

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Popularity of snack in North Korea shows how it could penetrate that country 's society

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South Korean workers give cup noodles instead of Choco Pie